Senator Cynthia Villar berates officials from National Dairy Authority and Philippine Carabao Center during a Senate budget hearing on October 11, 2024. (Screengrab from Senate of the Philippines YouTube)
MANILA, Philippines — A fuming Sen. Cynthia Villar couldn’t help but walk out of the Senate’s committee room amid a budget hearing.
She was frustrated over the National Dairy Authority (NDA) and the Philippine Carabao Center’s (PCC) failure to properly disclose their contribution to the country’s dairy production.
“I just want to see your performance kasi sinabi nyo sa akin na from one percent, naging five percent. Tapos ngayon, di nyo mae-explain?” Villar wondered on Friday.
(I just want to see your performance because you told me that it went from one percent to five percent. Then, you can’t explain it?)
“Pina e-explain ko lang sa inyo para kapag tinanong ako ng [mga] senador what happened, I know what to say. E nalilito ako lalo sa inyo eh,” she told NDA and PCC officials.
(I’m just explaining to you so that when the senators ask me what happened, I know what to say. You are confusing me.)
She was presiding over the hearing of the Senate subcommittee on finance on the proposed 2025 budget.
After delivering these remarks, Villar walked out, leaving officials of NDA and PCC in the committee room.
Villar’s outburst came after the agencies failed to tell the senator their contributions to Philippine dairy production.
According to the lawmaker, the country’s milk production in 2019 was at one percent, adding that she was informed that it has gone up to five percent.
“Sabi nyo, five percent na. Sino [ang] nag-produce? I want to know. Sabihin nyo sa akin ngayon. Mag-usap kayo,” she told the government officials.
(You said it’s five percent. Who produced it? I want to know. Tell me now. Talk among yourselves.)
“From one percent, naging five percent. Sino sa inyo? Binobola nyo ako! Sino’ng nag-produce sa inyo?” asked Villar.
(From one percent, it became five percent. Who among you (produced it)? You are fooling me! Who produced that?)
NDA Administrator Marcus Antonius Andaya replied that their agency’s present contribution to the overall dairy production is at 1.5 percent.
According to him, he was also shocked when he discovered that the country’s dairy production then was only at one percent.
“Subalit ngayon, aggressive kami pagdating sa stock farm,” said Andaya.
(But right now, we are aggressive when it comes to stock farms.)
Villar proceeded to ask Andaya whether or not this means that the NDA’s contribution to the national dairy production rate is only 1.56 percent.
“Hindi ko po alam kung saan nanggaling yung five percent. But right now po, as far NDA is concerned, nasa 1.56 percent po ang aming milk sufficiency at dyan po ay maipapakita namin ang production namin simula noong 2019,” he said.
(I don’t know where the five percent came from. But right now, as far as NDA is concerned, our milk sufficiency is at 1.56 percent and that’s where we can show our production starting 2019.)
Later in the hearing, Villar also quizzed PCC’s Administrative, Financial and Management Division chief Aimee Fulgencio about her agency’s contribution to the country’s dairy production, but she failed to answer the senator’s queries.
“Finance ako eh. May total production ka noong 2019 na one percent of demand. Ilan bang liters yun? Then, ano ngayon na 2023, ilan ang share mo? Ilan ang share nila?” Villar asked.
(I’m a finance person. You had a total production in 2019 of one percent of demand. How many liters is that? Then, what about now, in 2023, how many is your share? How many are their shares?)
“Ngayon lang ako nakakita ng ganito — nililito ako. Huwag nyo akong galitin. ‘Di ko kaya yan,” she warned.
(It’s only now that this happened — I’m being confused. Don’t make me angry. I can’t do that.)
A few moments after she walked out, Villar returned, laying out the reason why she fumed over the agencies’ performances and data.
“Kaya ako naiinis, noong 2019 na-shock ako – dalawang agency in existence for 30…, [tapos] ang production, 1 percent of local demand. What did you do for the last 30 years?!” Villar asked.
(The reason why I’m annoyed, in 2019, I was shocked – two agencies in existence for 30… [then] the production is only 1 percent of local demand. What have you done for the last 30 years?!)
In an ambush interview after her outburst, reporters asked Villar whether or not it is true that the country’s dairy production is really at 5 percent.
The senator, however, said she’s no longer convinced that this is the case.
“Hindi totoo,” she simply said. “Mali yung five [percent], definitely,” she later on clarified.
(It’s not true. The five percent is wrong, definitely.)
“Kaya nga pinapa-clarify ko para malaman natin at malaman din nila so they will know how to approach it kung sila’y nagsa-succeed o hindi. If you cannot explain, how can you do your job?” she wanted to know.
(That’s why I’m clarifying so that we will know and they will also know. If you cannot explain, how can you do your job?)
“You have to understand what your performance is so that you can improve on your job,” she stressed.